Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Dunes and Beach
Another side trip on the way home was to East London. The dunes must be 80-100 feet high. In the second picture, for perspective, there is guy in a blue shirt half way up the dune. The sand beach stretched for miles with patches of rocks and moss covered rocks for a little variety.
Addo Elephant Park
Before heading home I spent a day at the Addo Elephant Park. Wart hogs, elephants, lions and lots more. Only one elephant challenged my driving on his road.
Sani Pass
It wasn't all work. One weekend three other volunteers and myself climbed up to Lesotho via the Sani Pass. The last 8K of the road is closed to cars and was a little more work than I expected for our day off. In the second picture we are almost to the top and looking down at the switchbacks we had just climbed. After pictures at the sign there was time for a reward at the top. 
Mandela Hospital Complex
It was good to get back and see some familiar sites. The roller to repair the roads hadn't moved since my visit in April 2009.
The view from the African Medical Mission house, my home for 2 weeks, looked out over the valley and the northern parts of town.
Before going to the hospital I had to visit a larger than life Nelson Mandela.
Some things are universal, such as waiting for the surgeon.
Thank you SEA (Society for Education in Anesthesiology) for sending Dr. Deal to give some of the lectures to the fourth year medical students, interns and medical officers.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Transition Zone
On Tuesday I spent too much time in Port Alfred and ended up entering East London during rush hour. From my time in Mthatha I didn't think there ever was a rush hour here. I drove past what I thought was the biggest Mercedes Benz dealership in the world, but it turned out it to be a MB factory. 100,000 Mercedes have been shipped to the US from here. East London needs more bridges. Traffic was backed up for 2-3 miles each side of the rivers. Which wasn't too bad for a tourist in no particular rush.
Yesterday was a beach day. I went for a 4-5 mile walk to Danger Point and back. The waves were pretty good and there were no sharks around, but with the water at 70 degrees and winds at 20-25 mph I gave up on the idea of trying surfing. It turns out that the South African surfing team is in Peru this week for the world championships and none of the local surfers were in the water either.
Last night I went to the mall at 6 PM for some supplies, but it was closed. Drove around looking for a restaurant that was open, but only found KFC and Guido's Pizza. Italian won, though I normally don't eat Italian food when I am more than 50 miles from Utica.
East London is very civilized and today I found a phone book with most of it's pages intact. Two listings for a laundromat. One very close to the museum and art gallery and apparently open early. How exciting to do laundry in a machine and not in the bathtub. It turns out that it was a laundry with a couple coin operated machines. I got to see how the professionals clean, dry and iron. I think my folding technique rivals real ironing and with a lot less work.
After laundry I drove through town and managed to find the museum. Breakfast at the attached cafe offered a Canadian breakfast with waffles, bacon and maple syrup. As part of my transition to Northern NY there was no other choice. The syrup even tasted like it may have had some real maple in it.
The museum was a great exhibits on natural and local history, with emphasis on shipping, the border wars and the Xhosa. Dioramas of stuffed native animals were my favorite. I think I saw the last remaining Dodo egg in existence. The signage was confusing and I wasn't sure if it was a casting, or the real thing. The museum also has castings of the oldest human footprints ever found. 200,000 years old.
Today is my last full day in South Africa, and I'm told (at least by the brochures)that I have to have a Friesland Milkshake before I leave. But first the museum.
Yesterday was a beach day. I went for a 4-5 mile walk to Danger Point and back. The waves were pretty good and there were no sharks around, but with the water at 70 degrees and winds at 20-25 mph I gave up on the idea of trying surfing. It turns out that the South African surfing team is in Peru this week for the world championships and none of the local surfers were in the water either.
Last night I went to the mall at 6 PM for some supplies, but it was closed. Drove around looking for a restaurant that was open, but only found KFC and Guido's Pizza. Italian won, though I normally don't eat Italian food when I am more than 50 miles from Utica.
East London is very civilized and today I found a phone book with most of it's pages intact. Two listings for a laundromat. One very close to the museum and art gallery and apparently open early. How exciting to do laundry in a machine and not in the bathtub. It turns out that it was a laundry with a couple coin operated machines. I got to see how the professionals clean, dry and iron. I think my folding technique rivals real ironing and with a lot less work.
After laundry I drove through town and managed to find the museum. Breakfast at the attached cafe offered a Canadian breakfast with waffles, bacon and maple syrup. As part of my transition to Northern NY there was no other choice. The syrup even tasted like it may have had some real maple in it.
The museum was a great exhibits on natural and local history, with emphasis on shipping, the border wars and the Xhosa. Dioramas of stuffed native animals were my favorite. I think I saw the last remaining Dodo egg in existence. The signage was confusing and I wasn't sure if it was a casting, or the real thing. The museum also has castings of the oldest human footprints ever found. 200,000 years old.
Today is my last full day in South Africa, and I'm told (at least by the brochures)that I have to have a Friesland Milkshake before I leave. But first the museum.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sun Coast
My work at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital and Walter Sisulu U. ended on Friday. The volunteers, the executive secretary of the African Medical Mission and the chief of orthopedics and his wife got together at Mthatha's finest restaurant, Ebony, for dinner. A fine way to end my time in the Transkei.
Saturday found me driving 6 hours to Addo Elephant Park, with a side trip to Grahamstown for lunch and sightseeing. By the time I got to the park I was too tired to view any game, so instead rested up for the next day.
The park is huge. 38K from one end to the other on mostly a dirt road. And that's just one section of the park. I spent Sunday morning driving around by myself and saw ostrich, cape buffalo, kudu, tortoises and about 60 elephants at a watering hole. Spent a lot of time watching how sociable they were. By lunch I had made it to the main camp and checked out the store, restaurant, accomodations, and signed up for the sundown game drive. Glad I did, since I finally got to see some lions up close. Since I was the only solo person on the trip I rode shotgun next to the driver. At first I wished I had had a gun, but it was still pretty hot and the lions looked a little sluggish when we got close.
This morning, Monday, I went to the Woody Cape section of the park near the ocean. Looked for right whales and great white sharks, but couldn't see anything from shore. Now I am headed along the Sunny Coast on my way to East London for a couple of beach days.
Maybe I'll try again with the pictures. I'm suprised how close I got to some of the animals at the Park. My rental car looked a little like a baby elephant and a couple elephants did come over to investigate. A picture will tell the story better.
Saturday found me driving 6 hours to Addo Elephant Park, with a side trip to Grahamstown for lunch and sightseeing. By the time I got to the park I was too tired to view any game, so instead rested up for the next day.
The park is huge. 38K from one end to the other on mostly a dirt road. And that's just one section of the park. I spent Sunday morning driving around by myself and saw ostrich, cape buffalo, kudu, tortoises and about 60 elephants at a watering hole. Spent a lot of time watching how sociable they were. By lunch I had made it to the main camp and checked out the store, restaurant, accomodations, and signed up for the sundown game drive. Glad I did, since I finally got to see some lions up close. Since I was the only solo person on the trip I rode shotgun next to the driver. At first I wished I had had a gun, but it was still pretty hot and the lions looked a little sluggish when we got close.
This morning, Monday, I went to the Woody Cape section of the park near the ocean. Looked for right whales and great white sharks, but couldn't see anything from shore. Now I am headed along the Sunny Coast on my way to East London for a couple of beach days.
Maybe I'll try again with the pictures. I'm suprised how close I got to some of the animals at the Park. My rental car looked a little like a baby elephant and a couple elephants did come over to investigate. A picture will tell the story better.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Pictures
Sorry that no pictures have shown up. I've spent way to much time trying to get them attached. Four different competers at 3 different sites and I still can't get it to work. Pictures will have to wait till I get home next week.
Three of the other volunteers and myself went to the Drakensberg Mountains over the weekend. We drove 15 Km on a dirt road to the South African border post where the road was only open for 4 wheel drive. We crossed the border before an 8 Km walk up to Sani Pass. For those 8 Km we were in no man's land since the Lesotho border post was at the top of the pass at 9800 ft. It was more excercise than any of us had had in a while. Fortunately the highest pub in Africa was nearby and we could get some lunch and a beer. The pictures that I will post later tell a better story.
Last night all the volunteers had dinner at Jennie McConnachie's. She and her husband helped found the African Medical Mission almost 30 years ago. Besides providing housing for volunteer medical workers, the AMM also runs a health clinic, pre-school, and a craft workshop at Itipini, a shanty town built in an abandoned dump. If you google "Itipini" there is a wealth of information. Anyway, since it was my last week here I received a beautiful green AMM shirt. It's hard to believe I have been here almost two weeks.
Tonight one of the doctors at the Bedford Hospital, an orthopedic surgeon from Cuba, has invited us to dinner. Spicy Caribbean food, South African wine and good company should make for a good evening.
On Saturday I leave for Addo elephant park. Maybe I'll have better luck with photos by then.
Three of the other volunteers and myself went to the Drakensberg Mountains over the weekend. We drove 15 Km on a dirt road to the South African border post where the road was only open for 4 wheel drive. We crossed the border before an 8 Km walk up to Sani Pass. For those 8 Km we were in no man's land since the Lesotho border post was at the top of the pass at 9800 ft. It was more excercise than any of us had had in a while. Fortunately the highest pub in Africa was nearby and we could get some lunch and a beer. The pictures that I will post later tell a better story.
Last night all the volunteers had dinner at Jennie McConnachie's. She and her husband helped found the African Medical Mission almost 30 years ago. Besides providing housing for volunteer medical workers, the AMM also runs a health clinic, pre-school, and a craft workshop at Itipini, a shanty town built in an abandoned dump. If you google "Itipini" there is a wealth of information. Anyway, since it was my last week here I received a beautiful green AMM shirt. It's hard to believe I have been here almost two weeks.
Tonight one of the doctors at the Bedford Hospital, an orthopedic surgeon from Cuba, has invited us to dinner. Spicy Caribbean food, South African wine and good company should make for a good evening.
On Saturday I leave for Addo elephant park. Maybe I'll have better luck with photos by then.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Day Off
Things got busy towards the end of the week. Preparing, giving, and/or assisting at 3 lectures a day didn't leave much time for blogging.
Wednesday night we went to dinner at Jennie McConnachie's house where she has held weekly dinners for volunteers for forever I guess.
Thursday was laundry day, but didn't find out the washing machine wasn't working till I had the machine loaded and the soap was in. Didn't have time to find a laundromat since we were leaving for a trip to the mountains the next day. Luckily it was 95 and breezy, so I could do a load by hand in the tub and hang it out to dry. Got it in from the makeshift clotheslines just before the rain started.
Friday I drove to the mountains with Bill, Cory and Litisha my fellow volunteers. Stayed at the Himeville Arms Hotel which opened up over a hundred years ago. Quaint.
Drove to the border station at Sani Pass and checked out of South Africa for an 8 Km walk up to Lesotho. The clouds parted and we made it up in 3 hours. Had lunch and a beer at the highest pub in Africa and walked back down. Didn't have any trouble falling asleep that night.
I'll try and put a couple pictures on the next post, but my computer renumbered my photos and it may take a while.
Later.
Wednesday night we went to dinner at Jennie McConnachie's house where she has held weekly dinners for volunteers for forever I guess.
Thursday was laundry day, but didn't find out the washing machine wasn't working till I had the machine loaded and the soap was in. Didn't have time to find a laundromat since we were leaving for a trip to the mountains the next day. Luckily it was 95 and breezy, so I could do a load by hand in the tub and hang it out to dry. Got it in from the makeshift clotheslines just before the rain started.
Friday I drove to the mountains with Bill, Cory and Litisha my fellow volunteers. Stayed at the Himeville Arms Hotel which opened up over a hundred years ago. Quaint.
Drove to the border station at Sani Pass and checked out of South Africa for an 8 Km walk up to Lesotho. The clouds parted and we made it up in 3 hours. Had lunch and a beer at the highest pub in Africa and walked back down. Didn't have any trouble falling asleep that night.
I'll try and put a couple pictures on the next post, but my computer renumbered my photos and it may take a while.
Later.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Strike?
It took a while but I made it to Umtata/Mthatha. Drove to Washington, DC, last Thursday and left my car. Flew to South Africa on Friday and reached Johannesburg Saturday evening. Stayed overnight in a guest house and flew to East London Sunday morning. Another drive, this time just 2 1/2 hours and I was in Umtata/Mthatha. A little travel weary and jet-lagged.
Started at the hospital Monday morning. At morning report we heard that the student strike at WSU ended at midnight and Dr. Nelivigi would be going to a meeting to rearrange the students' lecture schedule. At 10 I found out that I would need to prepare a lecture for 11:30. For some reason the original schedule had never reached me before the trip, and I scramble to revise a lecture I had given to the interns last year.
Now, between myself and the anesthesia resident, Dr. Deal, we give 2-3 lectures a day. In betweeen lectures we go to the Operating Theatre to observe. Evenings are spent preparing lectures now that we know the topics that need to be covered. It's been cold and rainy so staying inside at the end of the day has not been too bad.
Last year Marcia bought me a digital camera. Yesterday I bought my first flash drive and had some photos transerred to the drive so they can be attached. Here goes try #1.
Looks like it worked. The top picture is me chatting with Nelson Mandela. He is even bigger and more charismatic in real life. The bottom photo is taken from my front porch this morning. The rain has stopped and the landscape is getting green again.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Strike
Found out this week that the medical students are now on strike. Not sure of the issues, but apparently there was something of a riot at the university involving more than just the medical school and the students. My primary interest was teaching during the students' hospital rotations. Will have to come up with a plan B.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Umtata Mthatha 2010
Getting ready for a return to Umtata and Nelson Mandela Hospital. Still having trouble getting my application for a license approved. Besides the usual slow pace of such things, 1.3 million government employees just returned to work after a 3 week strike. If a final contract isn't approved in the next two weeks the strike will resume. But, we will press on and hope for the best. Maybe the medical school at Walter Sisulu University will be open for business. The medical students are supposed to be on their hospital rotations in September and October. We may have to drive down the road to meet them at school.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Home Again
Morning view from my front porch.
Clothing optional beach.
Beach closed.
My neighbors across the valley.
.. In Johannesburg I spent a half day as a tourist. Went 700 ft. down into an inactive gold mine, saw a live pour of molten gold, and wandered around the gold museum. An amusement park has grown up around the mine, and the Apartheid Museum is across one street and a casino across another. I could have spent another full day in that neighborhood, but had to catch a plane home.
The trip home was a marathon. Eighteen and a half hours on the plane, including a stop in Dakkar where we weren't allowed to get off. The people in the seats next to me did get off in Dakkar and I thought I'd have a little extra room for the last eight hours, but 2 teenage boys from Gambia got on to take their place. They asked for my help a couple times, to work the interactive video and to fill out immigration and customs forms, but they slept most of the way to Washington. After an hour in line at customs, had just enough time for a cup of coffee before the flight from Washington to Syracuse. The sight of my daughter at the airport was the high point of my trip.
It's been a little difficult adjusting to the 6 hour time difference. I woke up at 3 AM today and didn't really get back to sleep till I had to get up at 6. I'll try and skip my afternoon siesta today and see if I can stay up a little later and sleep in till 6 tomorrow.
Yesterday I got my pictures developed. Yes, old fashioned film. Here are a couple from one roll. I'm still not quite sure how to put on captions, but maybe they will magically appear.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Packing
Tomorrow I start heading home. A two day trip with a 20 hour layover in Johannesburg. Should be able to get a night's sleep and be a tourist for a half day.
Yesterday I had 8 people show up at my afternoon lecture. A new world record. At first only interns would come to the lectures. Then a couple COSMOS (Community Service Medical Officers) started coming. And yesterday one of the senior medical officers appeared. Too bad that I have to leave now that I'm on a roll.
Today there was a shortage of consultants to get the first cases of the day started. So, I deputized myself and helped one of the medical officers start anesthesia on a 3 month old for a VP shunt. Then I went out to the orthopedic hospital to help. Broken humeruses and elbows seem to be the diseases of the week.
Tonight the volunteers are getting together for dinner at a local restaurant, Ebony. Ebony and Ivory. Does anyone have tickets for a Michael Jackson show? I haven't heard any news about him or Paris Hilton for 2 1/2 weeks. I am officially out of the loop.
Yesterday I had 8 people show up at my afternoon lecture. A new world record. At first only interns would come to the lectures. Then a couple COSMOS (Community Service Medical Officers) started coming. And yesterday one of the senior medical officers appeared. Too bad that I have to leave now that I'm on a roll.
Today there was a shortage of consultants to get the first cases of the day started. So, I deputized myself and helped one of the medical officers start anesthesia on a 3 month old for a VP shunt. Then I went out to the orthopedic hospital to help. Broken humeruses and elbows seem to be the diseases of the week.
Tonight the volunteers are getting together for dinner at a local restaurant, Ebony. Ebony and Ivory. Does anyone have tickets for a Michael Jackson show? I haven't heard any news about him or Paris Hilton for 2 1/2 weeks. I am officially out of the loop.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Weekend
A couple nights ago the volunteers had dinner with a priest who was a chaplain for the ANC (Afican National Congress) when it was in exile in the 80's. He had a few stories about being deported, jailed and generally harassed when he was in South Africa during the fight against apartheid.
Yesterday was my big trip to Port St. John's on the Indian Ocean. Driving on the left wasn't quite as difficult as I expected. Avoiding people, cows, horses, sheep, goats, and mules every few miles was. The road itself was pretty good, but slowing down from 60 mph to avoid jaywalking cows was a test of reflexes. When we got to the beach the shark flags were up so I didn't go swimming. But the restaurant overlooking the bay was open and we had a leisurely lunch. The town itself was busy, hot and dusty. Most of the small surrounding villages don't have anything more than small convenience stores. It looked like everyone had come to town to shop and stock up on supplies for the week. Sidewalks were filled with vendors and people overflowed into the streets.
Today I went to the cathedral for Palm Sunday services. There was a blessing of the palms and a procession down the street into church. I taped the music on my cell phone. Maybe I'll be able to put it on the blog when I get home. Halfway through the Gospel I had a sinking feeling. Last week they read the Gospel in both Xhosa and English. Would we have to listen to the Passion twice? It was already over 80 and the church was packed. And of course, no air conditioning. But we only listened to the Xhosan translation. For some reason we sang three songs in the middle of the Gospel. All together, with the blessing of the palms, the procession, the longest gospel of the church year, a sermon, and about 20 assorted songs the Mass lasted 2 1/2 hours. This would not be acceptable back home.
This afternoon will be a shopping day. They have a local red table wine from Chateau Libertas that costs $2.50 a bottle but they have been sold out at the nearest liquor store. And I'd like to get some music. I bought a CD from the South African Music Awards which had 21 different artists. The "Gang of Instruments" had a pretty good track, so I'll get one of their CD's. Fololo, a local jazz musician, has something coming out this week. If I had planned ahead I would have made plans to go the Capetown Jazz Festival this weekend. Too bad it's 700 miles and a 13 hour drive away.
Yesterday was my big trip to Port St. John's on the Indian Ocean. Driving on the left wasn't quite as difficult as I expected. Avoiding people, cows, horses, sheep, goats, and mules every few miles was. The road itself was pretty good, but slowing down from 60 mph to avoid jaywalking cows was a test of reflexes. When we got to the beach the shark flags were up so I didn't go swimming. But the restaurant overlooking the bay was open and we had a leisurely lunch. The town itself was busy, hot and dusty. Most of the small surrounding villages don't have anything more than small convenience stores. It looked like everyone had come to town to shop and stock up on supplies for the week. Sidewalks were filled with vendors and people overflowed into the streets.
Today I went to the cathedral for Palm Sunday services. There was a blessing of the palms and a procession down the street into church. I taped the music on my cell phone. Maybe I'll be able to put it on the blog when I get home. Halfway through the Gospel I had a sinking feeling. Last week they read the Gospel in both Xhosa and English. Would we have to listen to the Passion twice? It was already over 80 and the church was packed. And of course, no air conditioning. But we only listened to the Xhosan translation. For some reason we sang three songs in the middle of the Gospel. All together, with the blessing of the palms, the procession, the longest gospel of the church year, a sermon, and about 20 assorted songs the Mass lasted 2 1/2 hours. This would not be acceptable back home.
This afternoon will be a shopping day. They have a local red table wine from Chateau Libertas that costs $2.50 a bottle but they have been sold out at the nearest liquor store. And I'd like to get some music. I bought a CD from the South African Music Awards which had 21 different artists. The "Gang of Instruments" had a pretty good track, so I'll get one of their CD's. Fololo, a local jazz musician, has something coming out this week. If I had planned ahead I would have made plans to go the Capetown Jazz Festival this weekend. Too bad it's 700 miles and a 13 hour drive away.
Friday, April 3, 2009
Itipini
Sorry for dwelling on the power and water outages. These temporary inconviences are nothing compared to spending every day without power or running water as many people do. There are between 125,000 and 300,000 people in Umtata and the surrounding areas. I couldn't guess how many live off the grid. Unemployment is between 50 and 70%. Between 10 and 25% of people carry HIV. It's hard to make estimates because stigmata of having the disease keeps people from being tested. People are a lot alike everywhere.
Today I visited Itipini. It's a shantytown built on an abandoned dump on the edge of town. Even though I had seen pictures and knew about the clinic there, I wasn't quite prepared for what I saw. No electricity or running water. "Houses" built out of discarded pieces of wood, tin, plastic, canvas and whatever else could be scavanged. But, the people were friendly and the kids were great. The sight of a camera was cause for big smiles. How can people with so little appear so happy? It you want to see pictures by a professional photographer, google "Itipini". If you wan to read a blog by a professional journalist/volunteer, google "Jesse Zink" or "Mthatha".
This morning I was at the orthopedic hospital 6 km. from town. Helped take care of a 6 mo. old with osteomyelitis of the forearm and tibia. And then a patient in the High Care Ward (ICU) with a cervical spine injury had a cardiorespiratory arrest. He was resuscitated, but since they don't have ventilators, he came to the OR and was kept on the anesthesia ventilator till the ambulance arrived. Luckily I didn't have to ride to town over the pot holes. The EMT's seemed competent as long as we provided them with a tank of oxygen and an Ambu bag for the trip.
Today I visited Itipini. It's a shantytown built on an abandoned dump on the edge of town. Even though I had seen pictures and knew about the clinic there, I wasn't quite prepared for what I saw. No electricity or running water. "Houses" built out of discarded pieces of wood, tin, plastic, canvas and whatever else could be scavanged. But, the people were friendly and the kids were great. The sight of a camera was cause for big smiles. How can people with so little appear so happy? It you want to see pictures by a professional photographer, google "Itipini". If you wan to read a blog by a professional journalist/volunteer, google "Jesse Zink" or "Mthatha".
This morning I was at the orthopedic hospital 6 km. from town. Helped take care of a 6 mo. old with osteomyelitis of the forearm and tibia. And then a patient in the High Care Ward (ICU) with a cervical spine injury had a cardiorespiratory arrest. He was resuscitated, but since they don't have ventilators, he came to the OR and was kept on the anesthesia ventilator till the ambulance arrived. Luckily I didn't have to ride to town over the pot holes. The EMT's seemed competent as long as we provided them with a tank of oxygen and an Ambu bag for the trip.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Three Days
After being here a week I am adjusting to a different rhythm of life. There are three kinds of days: Water days, Power days, and Power & Water days. Yesterday was a Power day. Today we had both Power and Water. Everything at the hospital worked. At least till the suction failed in the afternoon. The anesthesia machines are brand new Ohmeda S/5's, but the probes fail quite regularly. There are sometimes extras around if a room is not being used. Sometimes not.
Part of my day is spent on ICU rounds. Several tragic trauma cases. Relatively young people involved in accidents at places 2-4 hours away. Poor prognosis for what look to me like non-life threatening injuries.
Next weekend I hope to see the ocean. It will mean renting a car and driving a standard transmission from the right side of the car. The local traditional healers are alleged to be throwing bloody carcasses into the ocean at Port St. John's. This seems to attract sharks. Who have attacked two surfers this year. Statistically, I think I will be safe swimming. There have only been two attacks so far this year. And they have been in deeper water. On the other hand it will be even safer on the beach. Port St. John has a small artists' colony so that is another reason to go. Or, I could go to a traditional village and sleep in one of the round houses with a thatched roof. Either choice looks good.
Part of my day is spent on ICU rounds. Several tragic trauma cases. Relatively young people involved in accidents at places 2-4 hours away. Poor prognosis for what look to me like non-life threatening injuries.
Next weekend I hope to see the ocean. It will mean renting a car and driving a standard transmission from the right side of the car. The local traditional healers are alleged to be throwing bloody carcasses into the ocean at Port St. John's. This seems to attract sharks. Who have attacked two surfers this year. Statistically, I think I will be safe swimming. There have only been two attacks so far this year. And they have been in deeper water. On the other hand it will be even safer on the beach. Port St. John has a small artists' colony so that is another reason to go. Or, I could go to a traditional village and sleep in one of the round houses with a thatched roof. Either choice looks good.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Oppression
Yesterday was a mild 80 degrees. Today the heat was oppressive. Sunny and 90. Luckily the power is back on and the air conditioning in the operating theatres is working.
I forget to tell about my trip to church yesterday. I wasn't sure where the church was or what time services were or even the name of the church. Opinion varied. But I walked into town and started walking in the general area. There was some pretty good music coming at the Universalist Church and told myself I'd convert if I couldn't find the Catholic church. But I kept walking and just before 10 saw people heading down a side street. What luck! The cathedral. When I entered everyone stood up and started singing. What I didn't see was that the bishop and about 10 deacons and altar servers had entered from a side room and were following me. For a couple seconds I thought the welcome was for me. But the place was rocking. The entire service lasted 2 hours, including over an hour of singing. The songs were in Xhosa, as was about half of the service. But there was plenty in English, and even the Xhosa wasn't much different than the Latin Masses when I was a child.
Today I went to Bedford Orthopedic Hospital. It's a 180 bed hospital about 5 km outside of town in the middle of nowhere. But they had 3 operating rooms going all day and did 16 cases.
Mostly fractures and infections. I helped with a few of the pediatric cases and then showed the consultant and resident how I do an interscalene block with a nerve stimulator. The patient weighed about 140 lbs. and we could practically see the groove. The block worked and I finished up the day going back to Nelson Mandela Hospital to give a lecture on muscle relaxants.
I forget to tell about my trip to church yesterday. I wasn't sure where the church was or what time services were or even the name of the church. Opinion varied. But I walked into town and started walking in the general area. There was some pretty good music coming at the Universalist Church and told myself I'd convert if I couldn't find the Catholic church. But I kept walking and just before 10 saw people heading down a side street. What luck! The cathedral. When I entered everyone stood up and started singing. What I didn't see was that the bishop and about 10 deacons and altar servers had entered from a side room and were following me. For a couple seconds I thought the welcome was for me. But the place was rocking. The entire service lasted 2 hours, including over an hour of singing. The songs were in Xhosa, as was about half of the service. But there was plenty in English, and even the Xhosa wasn't much different than the Latin Masses when I was a child.
Today I went to Bedford Orthopedic Hospital. It's a 180 bed hospital about 5 km outside of town in the middle of nowhere. But they had 3 operating rooms going all day and did 16 cases.
Mostly fractures and infections. I helped with a few of the pediatric cases and then showed the consultant and resident how I do an interscalene block with a nerve stimulator. The patient weighed about 140 lbs. and we could practically see the groove. The block worked and I finished up the day going back to Nelson Mandela Hospital to give a lecture on muscle relaxants.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Earth Hour
Last night we were supposed to turn our lights and electrical appliances off at 8:30 for an hour like everyone else in the world. The power went out at 8 and was off all night. We are all set for Earth Hour for the next 13 years.
Yesterday I went to the Nelson Mandela Museum in downtown Umtata. The presentation was well done. Two wings of the museum have gifts and awards he received when got out of prison and was then president. One of the gifts was a South African flag with an impressionistic picture of Nelson Mandela painted on it by Leonard Nimoy (a.k.a. Mr. Spock). It may have been a gift from the Vulcan Government.
Yesterday was also a shopping day. The volunteer physical therapist picked up a battery powered Ryobi drill to use in the orthopedic outpatient clinic. They have a way to keep it sterile and use it there to put in pins so patients don't have to be admitted for some of the smaller fractures. On Tuesday I will be visiting Bedford and see if they are really using it. It cost $39.99. I wonder how much a Zimmer drill costs?
Not much to do when the power goes out at night. It's too dark to go out for a walk. My computer battery lasts about 2 hours so I can work on lectures and watch DVD's for a while. Best thing is to sleep.
Yesterday I went to the Nelson Mandela Museum in downtown Umtata. The presentation was well done. Two wings of the museum have gifts and awards he received when got out of prison and was then president. One of the gifts was a South African flag with an impressionistic picture of Nelson Mandela painted on it by Leonard Nimoy (a.k.a. Mr. Spock). It may have been a gift from the Vulcan Government.
Yesterday was also a shopping day. The volunteer physical therapist picked up a battery powered Ryobi drill to use in the orthopedic outpatient clinic. They have a way to keep it sterile and use it there to put in pins so patients don't have to be admitted for some of the smaller fractures. On Tuesday I will be visiting Bedford and see if they are really using it. It cost $39.99. I wonder how much a Zimmer drill costs?
Not much to do when the power goes out at night. It's too dark to go out for a walk. My computer battery lasts about 2 hours so I can work on lectures and watch DVD's for a while. Best thing is to sleep.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday
The power came back on. And water started flowing again. But today I am roughing it. My house has a small washing machine, but no dryer. I had to drag the clothes rack outside. 90 degrees and sunny with a little breeze, so shouldn't take too long. Last night I boiled eggs and made a sandwich for dinner. The eggs were cooked to perfection.
I was going to go to the orthopedic hospital today, but for some reason the cases in all 3 rooms were cancelled. The assistant chief of anesthesia here says they may be taking inventory. With all the shortages of supplies and equipment I wouldn't think it would take the entire staff all day.
This afternoon I was going to go to Itipini, the shanty town built on an abandoned dump. They told me the clinic didn't have any patients, so I stayed here at the Nelson Mandela hospital. Cases were pretty much done by noon. Everyone was glad to leave early.
Tomorrow I am going to the Nelson Mandela Museum and look for a one hour photo developer.
I was going to go to the orthopedic hospital today, but for some reason the cases in all 3 rooms were cancelled. The assistant chief of anesthesia here says they may be taking inventory. With all the shortages of supplies and equipment I wouldn't think it would take the entire staff all day.
This afternoon I was going to go to Itipini, the shanty town built on an abandoned dump. They told me the clinic didn't have any patients, so I stayed here at the Nelson Mandela hospital. Cases were pretty much done by noon. Everyone was glad to leave early.
Tomorrow I am going to the Nelson Mandela Museum and look for a one hour photo developer.
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